Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide; yet for many patients, the process of simply clearing the first step of obtaining an accurate diagnosis is often a frustrating and time-consuming experience. This is true of many cancers, including thyroid cancer. This is also particularly true of relatively rare diseases, such as Hurthle cell adenomas and carcinomas, which account for approximately 5% of thyroid neoplasms.
An inaccurate diagnosis of cancer can lead to unnecessary follow-up procedures, including costly surgical procedures, not to mention unnecessary emotional distress to the patient. In the case of thyroid cancer, it is estimated that out of the approximately 130,000 thyroid removal surgeries performed each year due to suspected malignancy in the United States, only about 54,000 are necessary; therefore, tens of thousands of unnecessary thyroid removal surgeries are performed annually. Continued treatment costs and complications due to the need for lifelong drug therapy to replace the lost thyroid function can cause further economic and physical harm.